Signal-Copiahan. (Hazlehurst, Copiah County, Miss.) 1885-1888, 1887-12-15
POPPING THE QUESTION.
How Man Proposes and What In
duces Him to Do It.
Odd neutrality-suspicious. Which Lead
Up To the Momcntous Question:
Jests That End i'm Earnest-A
-, Romance OF the Northwest.

- This popping the question is funny
business.
Another queer thing is. that almost
any girl will freely confess, with n
little urging. the number of proposals
she has had and goodly proportion
of Sobered matrons even are not
averse 10 recounting the conquests of
their youth. But ask u married man
how ho happened to propose to his
wife. and in nine cases out of ten he
will only answer, with IN uneasy
laugh and look rs sheepish as if you
had found him out in the one inexcus-
~ folly Of his life; and rs for UNI
married men. who has ever known one
who would acknowledge how many
times no had been induced to offer
himself and his more or less tempting
prospects in matrimonial wayP
To woman proposal very rarely
comes unexpectedly. Not that women.
ASK rulc, are given to looking upon.
every eligible man in The lightoi pos
sible lover or husband. rs one young
lady declared to be the case with her.
self; out FIR The reason that the ma
iority of men very naturally dread
refusal. and consequently postpone the
critical moment until confidence is
inspired by n kindly encouragement
of the guarded advances they
venture TO make. II is an open Sc
crei that little diplomacy is often
employed to bring the cautious
admirer TO the point, and clever
is she who so Skillfully manages
the delicate task that the effort is not
manifest. All the world knows how
Ruth schemcd to capture Boaz; and
she was right modest and proper
damscl, too. But Ruth was n widow,
and mad had experience. and was
lcvcl-headod enough besides to SEQ the
advantage of standing by her mother
in-law; SO her success is not to be
wondered at. Maud Muller tried very
much the same dodge later on. but 1t
didn't work quite SO well; and all the
feminine world has been dcvising 9TH
or and equally harmless little schemes
ever since Iluth's triumph-and prob
ably befo.e-down to the famous
Frenchwoman who rcvolved before her
partner as n ball and frankly said:
Monsieur. desire husband. Do
Won not find me bcautiful?"
And lie calamity replied: -,
.Mademoisclle. we will be married
tomorrow. :,
This was about as direct proposal
rs that of prominent man In the
Northwest, whose courtship had been
rather long-drawn out. 81 am going
10 the Rocky Mountains" no abrupt
" remarked one evening, "and II yoa
want TO 60 rs my wife be ready next
week" and she was ready.
Equally matter-of-fact was the foi-
lowing. written by Yale man OH q
rilt.cdged invitation-card:
NV DEAR-: You will probably not DC
greatly surprised nj receiving proposai rom
me. The fact is II is the proper lhng 70 10
,a,ea Junior year; and, as IL has always oeen
nSc,stood that we should be married some
Sar we may rs we'll come 10 IN agree me nj now
O,course YOU know that love you, ana I'LL
mat: and. II you accept me, shall write TO you
,,cularly. initiate you into the class secrets,
aud tell you about all my aualrs, AaA ,,'.
awaiting q favorable reply, yours devo'ooiy'
Tho dopth Of devotion which prompt
al this remarkable cpistle may DC
questioned; but it stands rs an unique
example of college-boy's first effort
Very. few people fall in love at iirs'
sight, and propinquily is. doubtless
the commoneCt cause OF marriage;
though occasionally an unrremed i.,a" Il
..t or needless jest de, elops into a
s,rious attachment. Master Cupid HAS
roruish eye. ever Oh the watch 'or
unwary game, and frequently senoS
his arrows in unexpected din ction.